Incoming

By Dawn S. Onley

Jul 30, 2004

Personnel site. The Defense Department has launched a Web site to inform civilian employees about the new National Security Personnel System.

The human resources system, laid out in the fiscal 2004 Defense authorization bill, changes the way the department hires, pays, promotes and disciplines civilian employees. The site shows employees how the system works and solicits their comments about it.

'Change is difficult, and lack of information about coming change often leads to stress and anxiety and, unfortunately, misperceptions about what those changes mean,' said Brad Bunn, acting deputy program executive officer for the NSPS office.

The system gives managers more flexibility to move civilian workers promptly to where they are most needed and cut hiring time for new workers.

Bunn said the site includes a link for submitting comments about NSPS, which will go directly to the program office.

'We continuously monitor the input, and the ideas and comments we receive through the Web site will help us gauge what employees and other stakeholders are really concerned about,' he said.

Desktop contract. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service has awarded Unisys Corp. an $83.5 million contract for a wide range of managed desktop services.

The contract, which runs for a base period of five months with five, one-year options, will start as a pilot at three DFAS sites, followed by rollout during the next two years to 15,000 employees worldwide.

The agency can lease a wide range of products and services from Unisys. Currently, DFAS has ordered $1 million in services at the pilot locations.

The contract was awarded under the General Services Administration's Millennia program.

Linux deal. The Defense Information Systems Agency has hired DLT Solutions Inc. of Herndon, Va., to provide Red Hat Linux open-source software to the Defense Department in support of its Enterprise Software Initiative.

Under the five-year, $29 million blanket purchase agreement, DLT will offer Red Hat Enterprise Linux AE, ES and WS software. The company also will provide maintenance support, training and consulting services.

'This agreement will have a positive impact on open source within the DOD by providing additional choices and flexibility as we continue to improve operations for the warfighter,' said Dawn Lawson, software product manager for DISA.

The BPA is open to all military services, their direct-support contractors, the Coast Guard and intelligence agencies.

The goal of the Enterprise Software Initiative is to acquire and manage commercial software on an enterprise level.